-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Soupy Sales , a comedian from the golden era of television , died Thursday . He was 83 .

The funny man seen many times on popular game shows died at a New York hospice , said Paul Dver , Sales ' longtime friend and manager .

`` We have lost a comedy American icon , '' Dver said . `` I feel the personal loss , and I also feel the magic that he had around him being gone . That 's a much more severe loss than a loss of a friend . ''

Sales was known for his long-running children 's show `` Lunch With Soupy Sales , '' which started in 1953 and began his trademark slapstick pie-throwing antics . The comedy show featured skits that culminated in Sales getting walloped with pies in the face . What are your memories of Sales ?

`` Soupy was the last of the great TV comics when you talk about Ernie Kovacs , Red Skelton , right down to Howdy Doody , '' Dver said . `` But it was bigger than that , because he used a children 's format aimed at the kids and then he would forget he was doing a kids ' show and do a wild , unrehearsed , wacky improv for a half-hour every day for 15 years . ''

He could also inflame the authorities . One New Year 's Day , upset at being asked to work , he asked his youthful audience to send him those `` green pieces of paper '' from their parents ' wallets . Though he did n't receive much -- he told The New York Times he received only a few dollars -- he was suspended for a week for the prank .

Later in his career , he was a regular on TV game shows , such as `` Hollywood Squares , '' `` To Tell the Truth '' and `` What 's My Line ? ''

Sales recently fell backstage at a local Emmy awards show in New York and developed serious ailments after that , Dver said .

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`` We have lost a comedy American icon , '' says comedian 's friend and manager

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He was known for his long-running children 's show `` Lunch With Soupy Sales ''

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Fans of the show anticipated his trademark pie-in-face gag

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Sales also seen on `` To Tell the Truth '' and `` What 's My Line ? ''